You will need to sign on with your LLLID (La Leche League ID) before you can post. If you have never claimed your LLLID, create your LLLID now. To sign in, click the LLLID Sign On button in the upper right corner. Enter your LLLID Alias and click the button again.

mesh feeder question

Hi ladies!My LO just turned 6 mos and as he was so interested in food we started him on some grated apple I gave him on a spoon to feed himself.
He is very good with the spoon,he understood how to use it all at once(or maybe he just put everything in his mouth and he eventually put it in the right end!)but he really does not seem to like apple.
he does a disgusted face and chew it a bit and then spits it all out.
After a few days we tried banana (mashed) and he didn't like either.
So I started to think maybe he doesn't like the texture of pureed food and I bought a mesh feeder to give him something more crunchy.
Is it good to give a mesh feeder to a 6 mos old?
Should I wait some more for introducing solids,as he still can't sit up totally unassisted?

I'm Lisa,SAHM to M. 5/14/09 my velcro boy!

we made it to 19 mos!!! no end in sight
always and (I'd like to have a just LO and mom cosleeping smilie...)
food sensitivity to dairy,apple and orange
we just started to put cloth on
if I'm here I'm
love this forum!!!

Re: mesh feeder question

It says in your signature you are doing BLS. Is that right? If so, you shouldn't begin until your child can sit unassisted and can grab food on his own and put in his own mouth. I wouldnt use utensils at all because he can't manipulate them yet and the point of BLS is to let a child control their own intake.
I also would stay away from mesh feeders except for teething use because they don't help children actually learn to eat on their own. The concept of BLS is that you are letting your child control their own intake and you trust that in doing so that they WILL control their intake. So the spitting back out means not yet ready to swallow food. And that is normal. usually children who do BLS will explore food for months chewing and rolling food around their mouths before they actually swallow anything. And there will probably be some gagging and possibly some puking before anything is actually swallowed. But that is the point. They have natural defenses in place to keep them from choking. You use them and let them go and they learn to eat without the extra step of purees and as breastfed children, they can be trusted to continue to self regulate their intake.
But I would for sure put it away until your child can sit unassisted and grap food off the tray and put it in his own mouth.
HTH!

Re: mesh feeder question

yes I thought it could be early,because he can sit only if I hold his hand,if I leave him he gradually starts to bend and then rolls down.I did not feed him with the spoon,I let him play with the spoon with some grated apple on.I've read that is allright to do this while doing BLS.is it not?
he can grab things very good now,probably is just not interested in eating them.I see him doing chewing movements...just looks like he doesn't like the taste because after chewing a bit he..sprays all out!

I'm Lisa,SAHM to M. 5/14/09 my velcro boy!

we made it to 19 mos!!! no end in sight
always and (I'd like to have a just LO and mom cosleeping smilie...)
food sensitivity to dairy,apple and orange
we just started to put cloth on
if I'm here I'm
love this forum!!!

Re: mesh feeder question

We found the mesh feeder very helpful when Thomas was eating things like melon and avocado--hard to hold onto, but things he wanted to eat. We did a modified version of BLS, with his feeding himself most of the time and our using a spoon sometimes. Do what works for you and your baby.

ETA: I agree with Shelly--definitely wait until your baby can sit unassisted and offer things that are easy to grasp. Some people also find the mesh feeder helpful for giving breast milk popsicles, etc.

Re: mesh feeder question

with pp's.

When he is sitting unassisted, maybe try strips or pieces of baked sweet potato? It's sweet like breastmilk and if he actually eats it, it is FULL of nutrients. You can bake it and then cut it, or cut it first and bake it on a baking sheet like french fries. Another good first food that's easy to hold and nice and soft is steamed pears. I use to slice the pears in the size that I wanted and then steam them. Nice and soft (really falls apart in their mouth) but firm enough that they can pick them up without it turning to mush. ya know?

And I found that when it came to apples, I was more comfortable offering the whole apple, instead of pieces. Apple is harder to chew and I was worried about a piece breaking off, but by offering the whole apple my ds would use his two bottom teeth to scrape off the apple and eat it that way.

And as for the mesh feeder, we only used it for frozen stuff. Frozen watermelon cubes, breast milk cubes, ice cubes, etc... for teething. You could certainly start offering frozen bm/water/etc. if you wanted to help with teething, but I wouldn't use it as a tool for BLS

~Jenn~

mother of 2 boys!08/14/98~~03/20/08Birth: 7lbs 12oz, 1 year: 22lbs 11oz until he self-weaned 4 days before his third birthday ... still on occasion ... and happily ************************************************** ************************************************** *****************People need to understand that when they're deciding between breastmilk and formula, they're not deciding between Coke and Pepsi.... They're choosing between a live, pure substance and a dead substance made with the cheapest oils available. ~Chele Marmet

Re: mesh feeder question

so it's allright to give him some frozen BM in the meshfeeder when we eat?he really wants to participate at mealtimes and always tries to grab food or fork from your hand(dangerous!)

I'm Lisa,SAHM to M. 5/14/09 my velcro boy!

we made it to 19 mos!!! no end in sight
always and (I'd like to have a just LO and mom cosleeping smilie...)
food sensitivity to dairy,apple and orange
we just started to put cloth on
if I'm here I'm
love this forum!!!

Re: mesh feeder question

The feeders are a real PITA to clean too. I used them a few times when I was getting started bc I was nervous about choking. But later just gave food without it. I only really used it later on for milk-cicles.

Proud mom of 2:
DD 5/2008 nursed for 3 years and 3 months.
DS born 8/2011 nursing like a champ

Sorry for the short responses...always, always, always NAK or holding a baby

Re: mesh feeder question

I (and my DS) LOVED them. Used them for everything for a little while there... and I think it had a big part in getting him to used to lots of different flavors. Sam's been a great eater from the beginning and he loved those. We didn't use them for very long, but they definitely were worth buying for us.

Melissa
Mom to Jessica (2/7/03) breastfed for 8 months
Sam (7/6/06) breastfed for three years, five months, two weeks and three days (not that I was counting or anything :-)
Julianna (4/29/10) struggled thru nursing strike, nipple confusion, thrush, multiple cracks and fissures, a staph infection and then another bout of thrush, but happily nursing awaywww.cohenfamily-melissa.blogspot.com

Re: mesh feeder question

so it's allright to give him some frozen BM in the meshfeeder when we eat?he really wants to participate at mealtimes and always tries to grab food or fork from your hand(dangerous!)

This is not about food. It's about wanting to be a part of what is going on. You could just as easily give your child an empty plate and spoon and the participation would be the same. If you are drinking a soda, they will reach for the can. Doesn't mean they are ready for soda. If you wiggle keys at them they are fixated. Doesn't mean they are ready to drive. Don't confuse wanting to be in involved in the ritual of meal times with a 6month old feeling like they are somehow missing out on your food. That is you projecting. Children, especially babies don't miss what they have never had.
The mesh feeders will not help your baby with any parts of the mechanics of actually eating.
And again the pushing food back out is a very normal part of the process of learning to deal with solids. And I don't know if you have read the "DO's and DON'Ts of BLS, but I am pretty sure there is no talk of silverware at all in the beginning stages.